Pinhook is the Castle & Key’s sourced juice. This is my follow up to Bourbon Country (bourbon.) That one was solid. Definitely worth giving one of their rye batches a go, so let’s check it out. Nose: Rye bread. Black pepper. Pistachio and mint chocolate. Vanilla and walnut. Apple and cinnamon (think Apple Jacks.) Heavy rye spice, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Palate: Rye spice and dill. Rye bread. Gala apple. Fudge. Apple and Cinnamon Apple Jacks again. Pistachio and mint chocolate have fallen to the background, accompanied by caramel and vanilla. Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Pistachio, walnut, and almond. Mint chocolate and vanilla Gala apple that lends itself to a Apple Jack’s Cinnamon and Apple note—again. Black pepper, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Long finish, which exceeds my expectation of a 46.75% ABV whiskey. This is a winner. Nose, palate, and finish all score high. VFM adds an even greater boost considering this only ran me $35. I am very impressed, and some of these notes are extremely unique, which adds to the mystique. This one beats the Bourbon Country—which is the bourbon batch that Castle & Key put out at the time they did this—by a decent bit. 4.25/5.